Game apparatus for playing indoor football



" April 7, 1925.

1,532,385 w. M. cox

GAME APPARATUS FOR PLAYING INDOOR FOOTBALL med oct. 15, 1924 Longman n. vm

Patented Apr. 7, 1925.

UNITED v.STATI-:s

PATENT OFFICE.

-WALTEB M. COX, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.`

GAME APPARATUS FOR PLAYING INDOOR FOOTBALL. I

Application tiled October 1.5, 1924. Serialv No. 743,711.

4senting to its players the conditions an results that are met on a natural football field, particularly in intercollegiate football games, and to be played as though the contestants were out on the eld directing the plays of their teams.

lhe invention consists of a box-like structure, the body of which is divided longitudinally by suitable partitions into alleys, each alley representing a fundamental football lay, and these alleys are divided trans-y versdlly by ridges projecting slightly from the bottom of thebox to form spaces each of which represents the result of a particular play, the play being effected by shooting a ball in the appropriate alley, as I wlll proceed now to explain and finally claim.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, in the several gures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is an inverted plan view of the cover of the box. Fig. 2 1s a top plan view of the body of the box. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the body of the box. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section on a larger sca e of one end of the body of the box.

The body l of the box is divided longitudinall, by upright partitions '2 into a series o alleys 3 corresponding in number -with the number of fundamental football verse ridges 4 projecting slightly above the level of the bottom of the box, andthe subdivlsions are appropriately letteredor numbered to indicate various phases of the game as it progresses. While Figi. 2 does not show all of the spaces that may or should be used to play t e game principle on which the layout should be made.

The ball 5 is propelled by any suitable means alon the various alle s 1n accordance with t e play to be ma e. Onesuch propelling means is a ball rest 6 mounted on a spring 7, any suitable means being used `to manipulate the ball rest and the spring in order that when the spring is compressed and then released, the ball will be propelled along the alley in which it is played.

In a space r8 are arranged certain counters or dials 9, 10, and 11, which are fixed to the bottom of the box, and in this same space 8 are arranged spinners 12 and 13 for use in playing the game. The dials are used to keep the contestants posted on the progress of the game, and the spinners are used when the ball "stops in certain spaces, as hereinafter explained.

The inside of the top 14 of the box is marked oil' to represent a gridiron or football feld, as shown in Fig. 1, and a movable who receives the kick is designated B,

Of course it is understood that they kick is made from As forty-yard line. The ball is shot down `the Kick, or as in this case, the Kick-olf alley. Let it be supposed that theball stops 1n aA space marked 50. That means that B receives the ball on his own ten-yard line.

It is now Bs turn to play the ball.V He shoots the balldown the Run back alley. Let it be assumed that the ball stops in a l5 Ayard space. That means that B has run the ball back to his twenty-five-yard line. It is now first down, ten yards to go.

B now has the choice` of the following plays z-Line plunge, Oil tackle, End run, Trick p ay, or Forward passfv It is necessary for B to make tenyards#y it illustrates the or more in four downs or less, and if he is successful he retains the ball, and it is again irst down.

If however, B fails to gain nearly the number of yards in three downs, it is advisable for him to kick, especially when the ball is in his own territory. Assuming that B has made only five yards in three downs, it is now his ball on his thirty-yard line, and he decides to kick. Ten yards must be allowed for the distance between the ball and the punter, so that the kick is made from his twenty-yard line, instead of his thirtyyard line. Thus, if the ball stops in a space marked 40, it means that A receives it on his own forty-yard line. After running the ball back, which is done after every kick, A takes his turn at carrying the ball.

If, when a layer-tries to kick, the ball stops in the locked-ball lost space, his opponent takes possession of the ball, and isl given a chance to run with it. Thisis done by shooting the ball down the Run back alley. Th1s run is made from where the ball was kicked. If the ball stops in a No gain or a Fair catch space, it is not run back at all by the player blocking it. This same rule applies to the F umble-ball lost and Intercepted s aces.

If the ball stops in a enalty space, the rule as applied to an actual game will be used. If the player carrying the ball is penalized, he loses the number of yards without the loss of a down. If his opponent is penalized, the player carrying the ball is given a first down.

If, after a kick, the ball stops in the Fair catch space in the Run back alley, that means the layer receiving does not run the balll back, but puts it in play Wherever he receives it.

When a player succeeds in carrying the u, ball over his ropponents goal line, he has scored a touchdown-six points. He must then try for a goal from touchdown. This is done by shooting the ball up the alley marked Field goal. If the ball stops at any one of the. blank spaces above the space marked 10, he is successful, and scores one more point.

If a player has possession of the ball between his o ponents fort -yard line and midfield, an tries for a 1eld goal, the ball must stop in the space marked 50 to be successful. If the ball is between the thirty-one and forty-yard lines, it must -be shot in the spaces marked 40 or 50 to be successful. If it is between the twenty-one and thirty-yard -lines it must stop in the 30, 40 or 50 space. If it is between the eleven and twenty-yard lines, it must stop in the 20, 30, 40 or 50 space. If it is inside the ten-yard line, the ball can stop in either of the five marked spaces; and the attempt will be successful. Thus it is comparativel much easier to kick a field goal -from t e ten-yard line than it is to kick one from the fifty-yard line, as is, of course, the case in actual football. If the attempt fails, however, the ball goes to the other player on his-own twenty-yard line. A field goal counts three points.

After either a touchdown or a field goal the team scored upon has the choice of klcking or receiving.

If a player 1s forced over his own goalline whlle carrying the ball, his opponent scores a safety, which counts two points, For instance, if A had the ball on his own two-yard line and tried a line plunge and lost three yards, B would score two points.

After a safety the team scored upon putsthe ball in play on its own twenty-yard line.

The game will consist of four periods of ten minutes each, or if the players prefer, each period may terminate after each player has had possession of the ball three times. At the end of the first half the ball is kicked l off by the player who received at the start of the game.

There are two spinners with the game.' The spinner with the numbers 0--9 is used when the ball stops in the 10 or over, 20

or over, 30 or over, or 40 or over space. The number the spinner stops on is added to 10, 20, 30, or 40, as the case may be. The spinner with the numbers-05 is used when the ball stops in a space marked 5 or over, and the numbers are added to 5. This spinner is also used when the ball stops in a 50 or over space. In this case, however, the numbers on the spinner mean ten times as much. For instance, if'the spinner stops at 2, it means that twenty yards are added to the lift making a total gain of seventy yards. T us it is possible to go the entire length of the gridiron as is done on rare occasions in actual football.

The dials are used to keep the players posted on the progress of the game.

I have thus described the construction and mode of use or operation of one illustration of my invention, but it is to be understood that variations are permissible within the principle of the invention and the sco e of the claims following.

at I claim is 1. A game apparatus for playing indoor football, consisting of a number of alleys representing certain fundamental football plays, and transverse ridges dividing the alleys into spaces representing the results of particular p ays.

2. A game apparatus for playing indoor football, comprising a box partitioned oil into longitudinal alleys and these alleys subdivided into play spaces by means of `transverse ridges, and means to propel a ball along the selected alley. y

3. A game apparatus for playing indoor football, comprising a box having a cover marked to represent a football gridiron or playing field, and a body provided with upstanding partitions forming alleys for desI ignated fundamental plays, and ridges inter secting the alleys transversely and dividing these alleys into spaces representing results of Various plays, and means to project the ball along any of the several alleys as called for by the game.

4. A game apparatus Ifor playing indoor football, consisting of a number of alleys representing certain fundamental football plays, transverse ridges dividing the alleys into spaces represent-ing the results of particular plays, and dials for use in keeping the contestants posted in the progress of the game.

5. A game apparatus for playing indoor football, consisting of a number of alleys representing certain fundamental football plays, transverse ridges dividing the alleys into spaces representing the results of particular plays, dials for use in keeping the football, consisting of a box provided contestants posted in they progress of the game, and spinners to indicate When the ball stops in a particular space.

6. A game apparatus for playing indoor with longitudinal upstanding partitions of slightly less height than the depth of the box and serving to divide the box into alleys, and ridges standing slightly above the level of the botto-1n of the box and intersecting the partitions and serving to divide the alleys into particular play indicating spaces.

7. A game apparatus for playing indoor football, consisting of a number of alleys marked to indicate certain fundamental football plays, said alleys being subdivided into spaces marked to indicate particular plays.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 10 day of October A. D. 1924.

VALTER M. COX.

Witnesses:

ALIRED W. CAREY, J oHN J. Momussnr. 

